We were teenagers
by Permalosa
Summary: Fluffy bleach oneshots! Renji and Rukia Maybe dealing with teenage problems; Friendship, love, parents, music et.c. Pairings: RenRuki and others. Byakuya's cameo. Currently updated. Suggestive themes, lemon references
1. It's a hairy issue

It was a cold afternoon and everyone was at their warm home places. Everyone except two dark figures, a really tall one and a really short one. The Kuchiki siblings, Byakuya and Rukia, were walking home after another tiring day at school, after their classes were over. Suddenly Byakuya's best friend, Renji appeared from a corner walking in a hurry to somewhere. He was wrapped into a jacket, trying to keep himself warm. Byakuya, spotting him, raised his hand greeting him and Renji waved from the opposite pavement, before disappearing.

"That's strange…" Byakuya commented looking at the guy.

"What?" asked Rukia. Renji seemed normal to her today.

"Didn't you see Renji?"

"Yeah, so?"

"He wasn't wearing a cap!" Byakuya told her.

"So what?" Rukia, even then did not find any interest in her brother's remarks.

Byakuya explained further to her:

"Haven't you noticed that the most of the times you meet Renji, he is wearing a cap or hood or bandana, or anything else that covers his forehead and mainly his hair?

"Not really" Rukia said. Her curiosity had been sparked by her brother's words and now she wanted to know more about Renji and his "cap thing". Lately she had found herself thinking about Renji many times, and always trying to make the conversations with her brother revolving about the red head, so as to learn as more "juicy" stuff about the boy. Though she could not justify where her interest into him was coming from.

Byakuya hesitated to continue as if he was going to reveal something rather personal about Renji, to his sister.

"Well, it is not so big of a deal…" He said.

"Come on, brother go on…" Rukia pressured him

"Ok, ok... Maybe it is stupid but Renji does not like his hair much... In fact he hates them."

"His hair?" Rukia asked. _"Renji has beautiful hair. Like my brother's. Long and soft. And now you tell me he hates them?" _The girl thought.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked Byakuya again.

"Yeah Rukia, and I don't know why we keep talking about that."

Rukia felt her cheeks flushing as she thanked the God Byakuya couldn't see her blushing under her coat.

"Well you started talking about this. I said nothing!" she protested

"Alright, I didn't say anything at all, calm down." her brother shoved his shoulders and didn't say anything else, stopping their weird conversation about his best friend. They walked in silence to their home.

After some days, Rukia was walking alone from school again, as she saw Renji passing by her. She stopped and looked back, to see what he was wearing. He had covered his head with a woolen cap, and was also wearing a hood. If Rukia had seen him like this before she had that conversation with her brother, she would blame the clothing on the cold weather. But now the first thing that came to her mind was the distaste Renji had for his hair.

Without being sure whether she should do something, or just let it go and walk her way, she decided to act without a plan for this time ,and just follow her inner gut. She turned around and called his name.

"Renji!"

But the guy didn't respond and just went on walking on the opposite direction. The girl ran after him and as she catch up with the boy, she slightly dragged his sleeve to make him notice her. Renji turned his head and as he saw the short girl, took of his headphones and turned of the music. He smiled to his best friend's sister and greeted her.

"Hi Rukia! What's up?"

The girl still panting told him

"Do you have some time? I want to tell you some things.''

The guy raised an eyebrow

''Is it something about Byakuya?''

''No, no. I just want…''

The girl stuttered not knowing how to start or what she wanted to say. '_'This is difficult'' _she thought as she felt her legs wobbly. Renji was looking at her curiously waiting to hear what she had to say.

The girl caught his arm and led him to a more private place between two buildings.

''Well, Renji, my brother told me before that you are not so fond of you hair.''

''Did he?'' Renji laughed and tried to play cool. It was a bit sensitive subject for him when the other where commenting his appearance. Although he wished nobody to know about that, except for his best friend, Byakuya. And now Rukia was telling to him that her brother had told everything to her. _''I'm gonna punch that bustard.''_

But it seemed that the girl had some more things to tell him and the guy did not interrupt her this time.

''I just wanted to tell you that I think your hair are very beautiful. And not just your hair. Your... your whole appearance is by far the best of the most guys that I have seen. Your attitude, too. And you should not be so insecure.'' Rukia turned her eyes to the ground and continued.

''Renji, you are trully one of the most awesome people I have ever met.''

The girl stopped abruptly talking and covered her mouth as if she had just told him the biggest secret, that he shouldn't know. Renji did not speak as he watched the girl in front of him speechless. The black haired wished now to be invisible, and never appear in front of Renji again.

The guy brought his hand over his head, as he did when he felt uncomfortable.

'All these things you told me were very kind but I really should leave now.''

Rukia whispered something like "ok", as he started walking away from her. But as he took no more than five-six steps he turned back and approached quickly the girl that had not move even a meter from where she was standing.

He leaned and kissed her on her flushed cheeks.

"Thanks Rukia. Everything you said was wonderful! See you later ok?"

He took a glance to his watch. _"Oh God, I'm late" . _He ran away waving happily to a shocked Rukia.

Five minutes later, the girl could move again. She took three steps, and touched her cheek.

"_He kissed me!_" She yelled, skipping cheerfully to home.


	2. Pains of a metal head

"_Bzzz Bzzz!…" _

Rukia could hear her cell phone vibrating, nearly 2 o'clock in the night. "I _must propably forgot to switch it off" _the half asleep girl thought. Although she tried to ignore the ringing phone, somebody continue calling her.

The girl got up from the bed irritated and ready to tell of anyone that was disturbing her in that inappropriate time, not to mention waking the tired girl up. But still, it could be something important, as somebody was phoning her at this time of the night. In this thought the girl rushed to answer the phone, in case it was someone in need. But also could be someone pranking her. "_If this is the case, I will curse him until he leaves me alone" _the girl decided.

In the screen of her phone there was a sign. "_Incoming call from Abarai Renji_".

Rukia looked puzzled at her phone. "_Renji? At 2 o'clock? What the hell_?"

She knew that her friend had planned to attend a metal concert, that was held in their city. And he had tried hard to drag her along with him, but Rukia knew her parents would not let her stay out until that late and she was not so fond of metal music, that Renji adored. Still the concert was expected to last until the early hours, and a call from Renji in the middle of the night, who was obviously having a blast, was the last thing she expected. Or maybe the guy just wanted to show to his friend what a great time he was having and what the girl missed by not going.

He loved that kind of music. That aggressive tone, angry and revolutionary, picturing his thoughts in such an exact way. It was like a perfect depiction of his character. In those metal music events he learnt to be himself. Renji had managed countless times to drag Rukia into metal music stuff, but that kind of music never appealed to her. She preferred softer genres of music, rock the most of the time.

Finally Rukia answered the call.

"Renji? Is that you?" she asked.

"Well, did you expect someone else to call you, using my phone?" He asked in his usual cocky manner.

"What do you want?" Rukia asked forthright. No matter how much she loved Renji, she was not going to spend the whole night talking to him.

"Well, I-I was wondering..."

"Yes, Renji..."

"If it was possible..."

"Yes Renji..."

"To come by your house?" Renji asked pleading.

"No!" Rukia said harshly ready to hang up.

"Rukia! NO! Wait!" Renji said. "I can't go home like this! My parents are going to kill me!"

Rukia sighed. So that is what had happened. Renji, being the usual hot-tempered idiot he always was, had probably argued with his parents once more, and now was not in the mood to go back, especially so late.

"Renji, you know you can't come here. My parents and my brother are sleeping, like I should do now."

"Rukia, _please_! I need you for real this time."

"_Renji_" She sighed. She could not say no to the guy when he was using that voice. Deep and so serious, it made her feel weak on her knees. But she didn't ever tell him. Or else the feelings she had for him all this time, and she had chosen to keep as a secret, would be revealed to him.

"Ok, you can come. But you will be as quiet as possible, promise?"

"Thanks Rukia! I love you!" The boy cheered loudly from the phone as Rukia added in a low voice "_as a friend_."

Within some minutes he was there, and when Rukia opened the door for him, he entered without making any noise. Rukia switched on the lights in the living room, only to see that Renji was in a bad condition, with his hair loose, reaped clothes and some really big bruises. He was holding his left arm and smiled uneasy to a shocked Rukia.

"Gosh! What happened to you? Tell me you weren't caught into some kind of fight!"

Renji, limping a bit went and sat in an armchair. He exhaled loudly, trying not to scream as his hurt body collided with the furniture. As he sat down, Rukia walked near him and abruptly dragged his hand to examine it. On his skin there were no cuts just some trivial scratches and huge bruises. On his face there were no signs of punches or bruised eyes. Nevertheless, he looked injured and exhausted. Clearly, he was not intending to return to his home after midnight looking like this, and going to the hospital would only make the situation worse.

"Renji, what the hell happened to this concert? You look like you were in a fight or something" The girl said angrily. "Just how much of a freaking idiot can you be?"

Renji smiled uneasy and answered.

"Well, it was not exactly a fight... It's something that happens regularly in metal events. Have you ever heard of "moshing"?"

Rukia crossed his arms and told Renji to go on.

The guy started explaining.

"Well, moshing in metal events is something like... like a dance, in which the people that join, slam or push the others but not wanting to harm them."

Rukia slapped her forehead with her palm, not able to understand her best friend's idiocy. As she went to bring the medical kit, she cursed angrily whispering.

"Braindead, mindless, silly, stupid, reckless creature, people go to concerts to listen to music live not to get killed punching and kicking another morons." She tried to clean his bruises and then put some bandages on. She was quite mad at him, being so reckless about his own safety, and her moves were a bit harsh and violent as she tended the sensitive skin of his.

"Ouch, Rukia, you're hurting me!" Renji complained.

"I don't care! If you were more cautious, you wouldn't need the medical support right now!"

Renji glared at her and said in a low voice;

"Rukia you are mad at me, aren't you?"

"Congratulation, captain obvious, you found it" She said sarcastically.

Ok I'm really, really sorry I woke you up. Are we ok now?"

"No, giant monkey, we are not. It is not just that you woke me up. You made me worry about you, when I saw you appearing in this mess. I thought that, maybe, someone had attacked you or something!"

Renji smiled and dragged Rukia in a tight embrace, colliding her tiny body with his strong torso.

"My little girl was worried about me! Rukia you are so sweet, when you play motherly!" He tightened his grip around her sticking her, literally, to his body. The girl squirmed her body and and just stayed there as he stroked her hair.

"Of course I was worried about you dumbass. You my best friend."

"Rukia are you crying?" He asked as he heard some "Sob, sniff, sniff" coming from her.

"No"

"Your damn pride! I will leave now, alright?"

"Yes"

He picked the girl up, and put her into her bed again, to sleep.

"Renji?"

"Yes, Rukia?"

"Don't wake up anyone, as you go. And you are a big, big scumbag."

The boy cracked a smile and said "Love you too. Sweet dreams."

* * *

><p><strong>For those who don't know "moshing" really exists. And picturing Renji's character I imagine that he would love to do that some day. :3<strong>

**As Wikipedia would say "**Moshing** is a style of dance whose participants push or slam into each other. It is most associated with aggressive music genres, such as hardcore punk and heave metal. It is primarily done to live music, although it can be done to recorded music."**


	3. Prologue

Rukia was hurt inside. For a long time she had been denying her feelings for Renji. She tried to confess to him once, but it resulted into the boy, not intentionally, to be a cause of immense pain inside her.

Now she randomly had eavesdropped a chat between her brother and his friend on the phone. Renji had met a new girl and they were a couple now.

The girl at first, devastated, run in her bedroom, crying. Listening to melancholic music she did nothing, but mourning. In her mind she was the perfect girl for him, loving and caring for him unconditionally. And she knew, that Renji did too. But in a different way. He loved her as a precious friend, nothing more - nothing less.

Later on, she couldn't stop feeling upset. But something made her feel better. She remembered that every time she met Renji lately he was so happy. His smile was brighter than the sun every time she met him and his eyes were glimmering like a child's. He was truly into this new girl. And she seemed to make him happy, happier than any other time Rukia could think of.

So the Kuchiki made her choice. "_Going back to old feelings, won't benefit anyone. He is happy now and I will have to accept it and try to move on. Anyway, I will always be there for him and he knows that._"

In the back of her mind, though, something else was spinning. "_She may make him happy, but she is his girlfriend, just his girlfriend. Sooner or later they will break up. But me and Byakuya are his friends. His true friends. And we will always be there for him._"


	4. Smokey

Colourful lights... Loud music... Strangers swinging next to her…  
>And a tall guy swaying around with her. Renji dressed so fine, for their night out was giving his best shot in proving that he knew how to dance. Sometimes with nervous moves, and other gentle ones, he danced around with Rukia. The girl, dressed in a tight blue dress, did not pay attention to any of these. All that mattered for now was his smile. She didn't knew if those two would last forever, probably not, but she was happy that, at least for that moment, he was hers. And she was his.<p>

The night was already over. The atmosphere in the club started to get a bit stuffy because of the crowd in there. Loud music and dancing was getting also quite tiring. As Renji yawned, it was time for them to leave.

"I 'm getting our coats" he shouted to Rukia, that could not hear what he said anyway. She grabbed her purse and headed to the exit.

Waiting for him, the girl sniffed her hair. As she expected, she smelled like cigarettes or as if she was smoking. That was always the worst part of her Saturday night, especially when she was to spend the night with Renji. Even though she washed her hair every time before getting on a date with him, her hair always ended up smelling like this, because of the atmosphere in the places they hanged out. She didn't even knew what Renji thought about this or if he had ever noticed it, since he always snuggled in her hair when they lied together in bed. Renji caught up, with her just in time to get and taxi and return home.

"What are you doing with your hair?" He asked when he noticed her sniffing some black tufts.  
>"They smell awful" Rukia proclaimed. "I think I will go to have a shower and wash them, as soon as we get home."<p>

Renji laughed. The sound of his laughter filled the cold air. "A shower? 2.30 in the midnight? Since when did you become such a diva?"

Rukia kicked him hard, as usual. Even though they were in a relationship, it was hard to forget their "just-friends" days.

"I am not a diva. Don't you dislike it when my hair or your hair smell like smoke?"  
>The guy shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't ever care that much about that."<p>

Back in home, Rukia took off his tuxedo and put on pajama pants. Rukia dressed into her bathrobe instead headed to the bathroom. As she passed in front of the bedroom, Renji rolled his eyes looking at her.  
>"Rukia, come on it is not such a big deal." As she walked by, he grabbed her hand and pulled her in the bed with him. He covered her with the blanket, tried to tie her up and keep Rukia in the bed close to him. Rukia instead grabbed a pillow and pounded it on Renji's face. Soon they started a huge pillow fight. After a while the girl managed to crawl upon him and leave.<p>

"I 'll be done in, like, ten minutes. Let me go."

The guy pulled her back and curled around her. "So you are going to let me sleep alone?"

Rukia unable to resist anymore, just sighed. There were time like these, when Renji was acting like a huge red puppy (like Clifford maybe) and she could just not refuse anything to him.  
>"I'm curious Renji. How can you bear this smell? And your hair are so long and have a more intense odor than mine, that are so short." Rukia eventually threw the bathrobe and got into the bed covers next to him.<p>

"I told you Rukia. I don't care. If your brother was stinking, I would tell him to get his ass to the shower right away. But now it's you, and the only thing I want is to lay together. Here."

"Ok, ok, I get this." Rukia nuzzled tangled among Renji's embrace and his long hair.  
>For this one guy she had endured endless difficulties until that day. The unpleasant odor, would just have to wait until the morning. Then hopefully, Renji and Rukia would have a shower together.<p> 


	5. Drunken serenity

Everyone in the Kuchiki family was very proud those days. After a whole year of painful studying and almost no social life, Byakuya Kuchiki had made it into one of the greatest colleges in the country. Unfortunately it was quite afar from his hometown so his family rented an apartment in the city, where his college was located. Not wanting to be all alone in his new home, the boy made his younger sister come and stay with him for a few days. In addition to that, his best friend Renji, who was a in a town nearby, would visit the two siblings for some time. The three of them were exploring the city in the morning and hanging out in the bars in the evenings, having as much fun as they could before their semester started officially.

Some late afternoon, a small mountain of empty beer cans had been formed next to the sofa, as Byakuya and Rukia had spent all the morning like this. Later Renji joined them, after he came back from a rather long walk in the city. Byakuya was running around the city to do some errands and had left Rukia and Renji home alone, to continue their afternoon drinking. 

Rukia knew. She knew that Renji hadn't alone spent the day alone. She was told that, there was a new girl in his life and that he was mad about her. As they were drinking,  
>"So, did you meet anyone special today?" She asked pressing and rumpling nervously a can of beer in her tiny fist.<p>

"What are you talking about?" Renji answered simply changing the TV channel they were pretending that they were watching.

Rukia stood up and walk closer to the window. She couldn't face Renji. It was easier to ask about his new girlfriend without looking directly at him and thinking that the same guy she had fallen for once, was now in love with another person. "I overheard by mistake, you talking with my brother. By mistake, I didn't mean to..."

Without the pressure of her dark eyes, staring him, Renji decided to answer and tell her the truth.  
>"Oh, that. Yeah! I met a girl" Renji said, sounding kinda stressed. He still wasn't sure if Rukia should know about this kind of stuff.<p>

She sighed. Beer made her feer dizzy psysically. But psychologically stronger. If she wouldn't dare to ask him then, she would never dare.  
>"Well, gossip time! How is she?" She said cheerfully. Abruptly she turned around, attacked Renji with a surprise hug and landed skillfully onto him, just like she did when they were children.<p>

She smiled innocently sitting on his legs moved closer to him, their faces almost touching. Instinctively the redhead tried to bring his face even closer to her and try to kiss her. But when he tried to make the slightest move, Rukia easily escaped his arms and placed herself next to him on the couch. Her little "drunken games" would tempt every male in this state, even someone with such a strong will, as Renji. No matter, he was trully in love with somenbody else and in general very faithful, Rukia could always lure him into abrogating his promises for mutual love and trust. Most of the times though, that would happen without the girl having this intention or have any knowledge of it, at all. It was just the fact that both of them tend to lower their defenses and the barriers that protected them from the rest of the world, when it was only the two of them, together. This fact resulted into the one manipulating easily the other, unintentionally and subconsciously though.

_"Quit fucking around with my mind, Rukia."_ He nagged uneasy. But the almost aloof look on her face made him go on.  
>"She, she is wonderful. I haven't met another girl like her."<p>

Rukia, despite being on the verge of tears (and a little bit of vomiting, too) forced herself to crack a smile. A very bitter smile.  
>"Are you two long together?" She asked, although she knew the answer.<p>

Renji scratched his head. Some stray red tufts brushed his face and tickled him. Long, silky hair rested on his wide shoulders, begging Rukia to nuzzle in them.  
>"Well it's been about... I don't know... 4 - 5 months."<p>

"Nice, nice!" Rukia was looking for something kind to say. After all she had to play her part, not that of an ex or that of the hurt girl or the one that has still feelings. The part of the perfect friend, the one that was happy about him and his relationship.  
>"I hope you two will be happy." managed to say after a while.<p>

Renji turned and gave her a weird look. It was true that he and Rukia had a messed up past and a great history, albeit everything seemed to have ended between them.  
>They remained close as before and pretended that nothing had ever happened. Every one of those two had their own reasons. Renji felt better by forgeting everything and acting like nothing ever happened. Rukia was afraid, to put it simple. Afraid that if she brought back her feeling about him again, she would just scare him. And losing him from her life was something much worse, than seeing him with another girl. So pretending that everything was done, seemed like the right thing to do. Even if it was all fake, she managed to maintain a very close friendship with her brother's best friend.<p>

"So what about you?" Renji asked with a devious smile.

"What about me?" Rukia grabbed another can of beer. She didn't seem to get embarrassed talking about something so personal. In the past only one time she dared to open up to him about her feelings and this had caused Renji to hurt her, unintentionally. Usually, he avoided talking about this kind of stuff with Rukia, but now alcohol had blunt both of their minds.

So he decided to enter the red zone.  
>"Are you into any certain somebody?"<p>

Rukia drank half of the beer and slowly turned towards him, forming her lips in a heartwarming smile and made a strange sound something between a muffled laughter and a sob.  
>"Of course I do!" Her voice echoed in the room crystal clear. "Wanna see him?"<p>

"Sure." Renji agreed

"Come on." She said and stood up. "To my room."

"Do you have photos of him on your laptop and stuff?" asked Renji.

Rukia didn't answer. They walked into the bedroom and she turned on the lights. Renji stood next to her desk waiting for her to turn on her laptop. Strangely, the girl dragged him by the hand and pointed to the metallic mirror on the wall. They were standing in a way, their forms were both reflected on the mirror.  
>Rukia pointed to Renji's reflection on the glass. "<strong>That's him.<strong>"

Renji silent and frozen was staring firstly at his reflection, then Rukia's.  
>The girl did not manage to say anything else or to justify herself.<em> "That's the right thing to do. It is not a mistake I feel the way I feel, so why should I feel bad about it. If Renji doesn't love me, I do and he should know. What will he do from now on, is his own business."<em>  
>Motionless, Renji could not think anything else but had stuck on Rukia's words. He remembered how the first time she confessed to him was. He hadn't seen it coming. The doubt, the uncertainty, the fear of hurting her. It was still there. His heart hadn't changed a little bit.<br>But Rukia... She stood beside him. The first time she had run away. Now she was there, her eyes piercing the mirror with their blaze. She was not looking to his reflection. Or hers. Rukia was looking at **_them_**, who they have been, who they were, who they would be, who they could have been. Her eyes now full of complaint and a feeling of inadequacy were driven first on the floor and then right in front of her as she exited the room.

The girl returned to the living room and sat again on the grey sofa. The furniture was of a big size comparing with her tiny dimensions. If only somebody tall and huge was there to fill the empty space in the house, in the sofa and in her heart.

After a while Renji followed. Their gazes met, both unable to look somewhere else. The magnetic attraction and the tension filled the room.

"Just one time. Ok? But she mustn't learn anything. Ever."

Rukia smirked. "Why should she learn anything? How could she learn anything? Nobody knows what will happen, if it ever happen. The only way she could know, would be me or you, telling her."

Renji awkwardly as he was, took his eyes from Rukia.  
>"I don't know, Rukia, it's an issue and maybe she eventually learn something from you."<p>

"What?" Rukia stood up and threw the can she was holding. She wobbly walked up to him and wishpered.

"I know, you are into her, Renji. I don't like it, but it's a fact and I have to accept it. I know very well that, if one day she hears anything, she'll be hurt. Don't be fooled, I don't give a damn about her fucking feelings. But the most possible is that she'll hurt you too, and that's the last thing I want."

She snuggled in his shirt and murmured "How can you even suppose, that I would try to harm you in any way, Renji? Don't you know me at all?" 

The guy pulled his strong arms all around her.

Things got a bit misty after those words of hers. Rukia's later memories, included him walking and lying on the couch. Scoffed laughs, sighs and moans. Clothes thrown aside. His kisses painfully slow and sensual. And his face slowly fading as she was driven in deep sleep lying onto him, as their bodies occupied the grey couch.


	6. Bus ride

Rukia took the bus in the early morning. Her morning class was cancelled due to her professor's sickness. Little did she know, until she and her fellow students saw a note hanging on the blackboard. It informed them that their lesson would not take place that day. Her company was happy they had the day off, but kinda irritated that they weren't told early enough, so as to stay home and sleep a little longer.

«What do we do now?» Orihime asked.

«Shall we go for a coffee or something?» Rangiku said indifferently.

Nanao pushed her glasses closer to has face and said plainly «I am going to the library. I have some essays to finish. Hinamori are you coming?»

«Sure! Toshirο might be there as well» Hinamori answered blushing.

«Well, Nanao, you know what they say… All work and no play... Hasn't Kyoraku taught you that, yet?»

Nanao starting blushing too, making obvious her discomfort. «I told you, Matsumoto a million times he is only my tutor. The rest is just products of your vivid imagination.»

«Yeah, sure.» Rangiku smiled and poked Rukia. «Rukia are you joining us for a coffee?»

«Sorry girls I have to go to the mall. I agreed with my brother to go shopping, as he doesn't want to go with mum anymore.» Rukia declined kindly.

«Alas, boys never grow up, do they. Even Kuchiki Byakuya.» Rangiku sighed, thinking about the times she picked the clothing of her friend, Hitsugaya.

«Exactly. Girls I have to go, I see my bus over there.» Rukia pointed at the bus stop and waved to her friends, as she run frantically to catch her ride.

She managed to get in just in time, before the doors were closed. Unfortunately her city was not known for its public transportation. The bus was old and crowded, making circumstances even harder for to endure. Many people around her were nagging about the bad condition of the public transportation and the lack of space, driving Rukia mad. _"If you don't __like __buses, noone has obliged you to take them. Just walk." _She thought. She put her on her headphones and turned on the music.

As her ride was moving to the city centre, more and more people were boarding, making it difficult to find something to hold on to. As a result every time the bus was accelerating or stopping, suddenly the girl was hitting on every possible hard surface. This went on for some bus stops and Rukia could swear she felt every part of her body bruising. Thank god, there was her music and the girl had partially lost connection with the rather unpleasant current environment. So, she doesn't noticed even a familiar face that had entered the bus and was standing beside her. Then, some moment the bus had accelerated dangerously and everyone was seriously questioning the driver's ability to control such a it reach the stop, it suddenly making everyone fall aback. Rukia was not holding from somewhere and unable to control her moves slipped and would have hit the door and get injured. «_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck_» was the only reaction of her surprised mind.

But that very crucial moment she felt something firm and strong around her waist preventing her from falling. Because of the abrupt movement, her headphones fell from her ears, as she heard a known voice proclaiming softly «I got you!». A tattooed arm was still around her waist holding her stably against a strong torso of a ridiculously tall guy.

«Renji?» she asked to make sure it was him indeed, not having enough space to turn her head and see for sure. Her heartbeat speed up even more and her cheeks turned red as roses. Out from all the males she had met, who else would dare to embrace and protect her in a jam-packed bus? Renji. Byakuya's best friend and the object of her desire.

«I haven't seen you in ages. Do you take this bus often?» Rukia asked trying hard to appear normal.

«Yeah, long time no see! I don't ride this bus normally, but today it just happened to. I guess if I did we would meet more, right?»

«Right.» The girl agreed.

«Wait a bit, to set you free.» Renji said taking his massive arm away. Little had he moved when the bus shrieked and two people accidentally pushed Rukia back in his arms. The girl all flushed did not dare to look up to see his expression.

Renji, all but uneasy, said «I guess we will have to stay like this for a while! Is that ok?»

Rukia nodded «Yes». The guy pulled her closer. Rukia, safe and sound under his firm grasp, was standing hugging him too.

People around them couldn't help but comment about the cute and quite overly attached couple that did not got away from each other even when there was enough space for those two to stand. Rukia pretended she didn't hear a thing and stayed motionless in her position as Renji chuckled and mentally agreed with those around them, partially at least. «_Rukia sure is cute, when she is hugged!_»

Soon Rukia reached her destination and had to get off the bus. Reluctantly she stepped a little further from Renji and their bodies parted. She walked closer to the door that would be opened in a while for those who wanted to descend. Watching her leaving Renji told her;

«We should take the same bus more often Rukia! Don't you think?»

The girl's face lightened up with a happy smile, brighter than the sun. «You bet!»


End file.
